DIANA, NATO’s Innovation Accelerator, Doubles Size Of Its Transatlantic Network
On Thursday (14 March 2024), NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) announced a major expansion of its transatlantic network of accelerator sites and test centres.
DIANA’s network will now comprise 23 accelerator sites (up from 11) and 182 test centres (up from 90) in 28 Allied countries, augmenting DIANA’s capacity to support innovators from across the Alliance as they develop their technologies.
Addressing media at NATO Headquarters on Thursday, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the addition of the new sites. “They will focus on solving some of our biggest defence and security challenges and sharpening our technological edge in areas ranging from Artificial Intelligence and cyber, to 5G, hypersonics, and autonomous systems”, he said.
DIANA-affiliated accelerators deliver world-class training, funding and commercial advice to the programme beneficiaries, while the network of test centres provides access to cutting-edge testing facilities.
“Part of DIANA’s strength, is our unique transatlantic network of talent centres and innovation leaders working toward a common purpose,” said Professor Deeph Chana, Managing Director of DIANA. “The breadth and diversity of partners in DIANA’s network will accelerate the development and deployment of ground-breaking solutions for defence, security and peace.”
Last November, 44 companies were chosen from over 1,300 applicants to join DIANA’s accelerator programme. The cohort of innovators were selected to tackle specific challenges on energy resilience, undersea sensing and surveillance, and secure information sharing. The 44 companies are currently following a detailed curriculum delivered by the five pilot accelerator sites, while developing their proposed technological solutions to the identified challenges. DIANA is also brokering connections to the wider Allied innovation ecosystem – including investors and end-users.
DIANA was established in 2022 to ensure that NATO harnesses the best of dual-use innovation for transatlantic defence and security. DIANA provides companies with the resources, networks and guidance to develop deep technologies to solve critical defence and security challenges, from operating in denied environments to tackling threats to our collective resilience.
Accelerators and test centre sites are affiliated elements in the DIANA network – and have been nominated by their home nation. New sites in the network will come onstream in the coming months.